What's COOL@HOOLE: Highlighting the collections, events, items, happenings, ideas, new acquisitions, discoveries, initiatives, and everything else that's Cool @ the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library at The University of Alabama.

Friday, January 23, 2009

An Unlikely Antihero: Bernie Madoff at the Capstone

Bernard Madoff, yearbook picture, 1957 Corolla

An article appeared in the New York Times last week by Allen Salkin, entitled Bernie Madoff, Frat Brother, which provides a fascinating short oral history from his fellow fraternity brothers (Sigma Alpha Mu) on their fellow Sammie, Bernie Madoff.

And where was he in school, you ask? He was in fact at The University of Alabama, where he spent his freshman year, 1956-57. He transferred after that year.

As referenced in the previous post, Jewish students (and non-Jews as well) came to the Capstone from the Northeast and other parts of the country in the first decades of the 20th century. This continued well into the 1950s and beyond. Of course today we have students from all over Alabama, across the United States and indeed and all over the world -- The University of Alabama brings the best and brightest to our continually growing and eternally beautiful campus.

And though we do not know why specifically Mr. Madoff made Alabama his choice, it would be very interesting to ask him. But I think he's a little bit busy with other matters right now.

But he was here, just for that year. Here are some images from the 1957 Corolla to prove it --

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The Spirit of Alabama

Detail of the "Spirit of Alabama", from the 1931 University of Alabama Centennial Celebration

Highlighting the collections, events, items, happenings, ideas, new acquisitions, discoveries, initiatives, and everything else that's Cool@ the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library at The University of Alabama.

About The Hoole Special Collections Library

The W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library is part University Libraries at The University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Hoole Library is the home to a rich collection of rare books, Alabama materials, over 3900 manuscript collections, extensive sound recordings and sheet music collections, photograph collections, rare maps, paintings and other artifacts, as well as the institutional archives of The University dating back to its founding in 1831. The library is open year-round to the campus community and to the public, and is used by researchers and scholars from all across Alabama, the United States, and the world.

Welcome to "What"s Cool @ Hoole!"

This idea of showing the world "what's cool at Hoole" has been with us for several years in the form of a website or online exhibit, and has had more than a few interruptions in the process. Using Web 2.0 technology, the blog format will allow us the greatest ease and flexibility in giving you the latest in all the things that are happening at the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library at The University of Alabama. Please visit Cool@Hoole to see images and read information and stories about things that are happening, new things we have received, as well as interesting items from our collections that we might want to feature and talk about. Please visit often and tell your friends! And we'd love to hear from you!

Jessica Lacher-Feldman, The W.S. Hoole Special Collections LibraryThe University of Alabama